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June 25, 2006 (Sunday) － Issue No. 55 |
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Chinese
University Students Pursue Materialism over Communism |
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120
Million Hepatitis B Virus Carriers in China Face Discrimination |
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Three
Gorges Human Rights Activist Assaulted, in Serious Condition |
| 'Officer,
Just Give Me a Death Permit!' According to information disclosed during the Xishan Conference, a high level closed door debate over China's reform is presently happening. Thirty million appeals occurred in China last year; in Beijing, the conflicts between police and appellants are a daily occurrence....…Full Article |
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It appears that what the bank truly desires is their ‘first-class position.’ The bank willingly trades millions in credit for influence; having senior officials deeply in debt to the bank is good business.....…Full Article |
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In a nationwide survey targeting 11 universities in China, with respect to students' outlook on life, it was found that 66 percent of the students believe in "pragmatism," and only one percent want to "struggle for the cause of communism." (China Photos/Getty Images) In a nationwide survey targeting 11 universities in China, with respect to students' outlook on life, it was found that 66 percent of the students believe in "pragmatism," and only one percent want to "struggle for the cause of communism." Professor Li Weiyi from Hebei University, who also participated in the research, believes that the findings reflect a fundamental shift in university students' mode of thinking – from emphasizing idealism to focusing on reality. No Successors to Walk the Communist Road The Hebei University Youth R&D center spent more than one year collating the "University Students' Quality of Life Study." Unlike the older generation who pursue "great ideals and spiritual values," these findings demonstrate that the majority of the students emphasize material gain and short-term returns. Here are the responses to the question "What are your dreams and pursuits?" * 64.5 percent:
successful career and a satisfying life Motivation for Studying In the study, 43.8 percent believe that the motivation for studying is to "secure a good job in the future"; 38.4 percent believe that the motivation is to "repay parents' kindness"; 43.6 percent believe that studying is for "self-actualization" and 33.4 percent believe that the goal of studying is to "sharpen one's ability and perfect one's personality." In addition, 14.0 percent, 9.7 percent and 7.8 percent believe that the motivation for study comes from "various pressures," "to serve the country" and "to win the respect of others," respectively. Pragmatism is reflected in the data. In seeking employment, 37 percent place importance on "self-actualization," 29.4 percent emphasize "income," 13.8 percent value a "job suited to one's special training," 8.3 percent chose "the needs of the motherland," and 2.6 percent selected "social status." As the expectations
of organizations toward the academic credentials of university students
increase, many students started to prepare for postgraduate school
exams even in their first year. Some students, while they are working
on their degree, invest their spare time in other certificates ranging
from computers to the English language, in order to add "weight"
to their employment prospects. Back As reported by Beijing Daily on June 13, Beijing has become a moderate hepatitis B virus (HBV) epidemic region in the country. Based on China's statistics in 1992, there were at least 30 million HBV patients and 120 million HBV carriers in China. The epidemic situation is serious but prevention and education are insufficient, causing millions of HBV carriers to severely suffer not only in body, but also in spirit as they face discrimination by the uninformed, Serious HBV Epidemic Based on a recent survey released by the Beijing Health Bureau, 5.76 percent of Beijing’s citizens carry the hepatitis B virus, and the infection rate is 45 percent. The incidence rate in recent years is approximately 20 out of 100,000. According to medical experts, the incidence of the hepatitis B disease in China is the highest in the world. For instance, the incidence rate of hepatitis B is more than 17 percent in Guangdong Province. Liu Gengtao, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a liver biochemistry pharmacologist, said that the survey in 1992 showed that there were 30 million HBV patients and 120 to 150 million HBV carriers, more than 10 percent of the population, and accounted for one third of the total HBV carriers in the world. Nearly half a million people die of this disease each year, and the annual cost for medical treatment of the disease in China was over 100 billion yuan (US$12.5 billion). As reported by Xinmen Weekly, Zhuang Hui, a member of the China Academy of Engineering and an professor at the Department of Etiology in the Medical Institute at Beijing University pointed out that due to the lack of a standardized diagnosis for hepatitis B and a comprehensive assessment of the social effect in China, the quality of epidemic report was underestimated and the degree of seriousness was attenuated. . Pervasive Discrimination Against HBV Carriers With ineffective publicity and education regarding HBV, the public does not understand HBV, which cannot be transmitted through common contact. Among ten randomly selective people on a spot investigation in Beijing and Shanghai, everyone believes that saliva is the main vehicle of HBV infection. Seven people think that daily contact with virus carriers can also cause infection. Three people think body fluids such as sweat glands can infect other people. However, they are all mistaken. Where did all these wrong impressions come from? An analysis from a forum named "Heart to Heart" on a well-known HBV carriers website in China indicated that in order to make profit, numerous fake anti-hepatitis B advertisements twisted and exaggerated the hazardous nature of HBV carriers; some medical clinics even abuse their right in diagnosing and treating the HBV carriers. Eighty thousand
registered members in the "Heart to Heart" forum indicated
that they live in an isolated and discriminated environment every
moment of every day, and many of them are forced to lose their opportunity
to work, study, family and social activities. Their lives are miserable
beyond description. In recent years, many of them have moved towards
human rights protection using their rights entrusted by law. Back After the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, the Chinese communist officials developed a new way to make windfall profits—the "land enclosure movement." In recent years numerous peasants have been deprived of their fields, and city dwellers have been forced to relocate, receiving only very moderate, if any, compensation. These Chinese people are victims of the greed of their local governments, who traded the people's land for political achievements and financial profits. Early June, the Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources issued several orders, one after another, prohibiting illegal trade. The Ministry first banned issuing new land permits for building villas, and then announced that illegal land development is so rampant that at least 60 percent of recent urban land development projects involve illegal land acquisition. In some cities, this number is as high as 90 percent, according to the Ministry. To demonstrate its determination in implementing order in the land market, the Ministry went as far as imposing a minimum number of land related cases for each province to solve. The background behind the Ministry's new actions is the increasing mass protest of Chinese peasants against land enclosure by local governments. On June 8, the Guangdong government arrested seven peasant representatives for "extortion" after a large-scale protest against illegal land acquisition in Sanzhan Harbor of Foshan City, Guangdong Province. Government Key Force in Land Trade Abuse The key to understanding these conflicts involves the idiosyncrasy of the Chinese real estate market and the embarrassing role the local governments play in this market. Besides real estate developers and house buyers, the Chinese real estate market also involves two other parties, namely, the original owners of the land (peasants deprived of their fields, and city dwellers forced to relocate) and local governments who seized the land from the original owners. The central government becomes the arbitrator in land related conflicts. No doubt, among the above-mentioned parties involved in real estate, the local government plays the most important role. On the one hand, it "purchases" land from the peasants by various means. On the other, it sells the right of usage of the land to real estate developers. Through such purchasing and selling, the local government is pushing land onto the market. But why are local governments so enthusiastic about land trading? The answer is obvious: the large difference between the purchase price and selling price of the land. Actually, the profit is so large that it has become a major fiscal resource for Chinese local governments. Statistics show that in the past five years, profits from selling land, and tax from the real estate industry, have accounted for 45 percent to 60 percent of China's government revenue. Many of the residents are worried about the fact that they cannot afford a house. The second group of victims is house buyers. Many middle class people call themselves "slaves of houses," because after buying a house with a loan, they can hardly bear the burden of the monthly payment. The Chinese central
government has been trying to regulate the land market for a long
period of time, but has never succeeded in it. The current collective
ownership of land by the local governments are protected in their
land trading. The only way to fundamentally solve the land enclosure
problem is by giving land ownership to individuals. If land is privately
owned, local government would be unable to get away with selling land
for their own profit. Back Fu Xiancai in hospital after being assaulted. (The Epoch Times) Three Gorges Dam resettlement activist Xiancai Fu was beaten to the point of paralysis by unknown assailants on June 8, following an interview critical of Chinese authorities with a German television station. A German Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said the German embassy in China is requesting an explanation from Beijing. The day of the assault, Fu was summoned for questioning by Zigui county police. There, according to Fu's wife, local Security Squad leader Xiankui Wang warned Fu not to make any further appeals or interviews. Following the appointment, during his walk home, Fu was attacked by several men who beat him severely, breaking several cervical vertebrae. Serious injuries On June 14 an Epoch Times reporter interviewed Fu Xiancai's family and his close friend Mr. Ruan. They are worried that the injuries will result in permanent paralysis. Mr. Ruan said, "How could the hoodlums paralyze him without killing him? One who is not familiar with the structure of the human body is unable to achieve this and we are very surprised and suspicious of the location of the injury." German government speaks up This incident has caused strong repercussions in Germany. A spokesperson said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed the German embassy in China to request an explanation from the Beijing government. Plog, a German broadcaster wrote the embassy, "Without a doubt, this event is a retribution against Fu for accepting a German television station's interview." In the interview a May 19 interview with a German television station, Fu accused the Chinese Communist regime of not reimbursing promised compensation to 1.3 million people who were forced to vacate their hometowns because of the Three Gorges Dam Project. Fu was one of those forced to relocate and belonged to the dam region group. There were more than 10,000 people in total that were relocated from his area. They originally lived in the hillside areas rich in agricultural products. Here the land is fertile with abundant crops of citrus fruits, paddy rice, wheat, rape, etc. The farmers enjoyed a relatively high standard of living. Now the villagers' lives are in a precarious state. The government did not arrange work for them and the farmers rely on paltry jobs to make a living. The Three Gorges Project has made these farmers' lives extremely difficult. Fu himself went to Beijing 15 times to appeal for compensation promised by the government. The head of the
Maoping police station allegedly said to Fu, "If you persist
in appealing against the local government, your family will not be
left in peace, even your lives will be in danger. If you continue
to appeal and contact foreign media, we, the police organizations,
will detain you forever. I don't believe the Americans would attack
China if we imprison you." Back More and more conflicts between police and appellants are emerging in Beijing as authorities begin implementing new regulations. Under the new law, "threatening an official by committing suicide or inflicting injuries to oneself" is a crime. Many appellants commented, "Currently in China, we don't even have a right to die!" According to information disclosed during the Xishan Conference, a high level close door debate over China's reform is presently happening. Thirty million appeals occurred in China last year, and in Beijing, the conflicts between police and appellants are an everyday occurrence. On May 26, a Chinese media reported that authorities explained about the new amendment to "Beijing Municipal Petitions Ordinance" on the 27th Conference of the Beijing Standing Committee of the Municipal People's Congress held on May 25. It was stated that: Petitioners could not submit petition requests at locations that are not designated to receive petitions; not to exceed five persons when petitioning as a group; not to gather illegally; not to cause disturbance; not to seize or attack government organizations; not to block official vehicles; not to block or obstruct traffic; and not to threaten authorities by committing suicide, or inflicting injuries to oneself. Otherwise, the petitioners will be responsible for all corresponding legal implications. An Epoch Times
journalist interviewed several appellants regarding the new amendment. Zhao said, "the new ordinance for appellants have added over ten new stipulations, suicide is one of them. The regime does not give us means to survive, now it does not even allow us to die; the regime has taken total control of our lives. Not allowing us to kill ourselves, does that mean they want us to kill others? Authorities say suicide is an act that threatens the government, yet they have compelled us to the end of the rope. Nobody wants to appeal and nobody wants to suffer these hardships. I am going to hold up a big sign that says, 'Officer, just give me a death permit!' when I appeal next time." Yuan Chunmei from Jiangxi province relayed her story to the reporter. Four years ago, the head and party secretary of her village sold several real estate properties belonging to her family to a real estate agent without her family's consent. Grains that were grown on the field, trees and poultry were all lost. Before she went to Beijing, she had appealed her case to all levels in the government, but ended with no result. Earlier this year she went to Beijing to petition. Being unfamiliar in Beijing, she wandered around with other petitioners. Even now, whether she is able to submit her appeal still remains questionable. When commenting about the new regulation, Yuan said, "I would not have known before coming here that Beijing is such a dark place. This is a society where the strong prey on the weak, decent people are bullied and bad people are praised." According to the New York Times , at the Xishan Conference, Li Shuguang, Dean of China University of Politics and Law, said the rise in social instability indicated that the dominant issue for common people was no longer "poverty of material resources" but "poverty of rights and power." Back Overdrawing
China Back On March 16, China Minsheng Bank held a ceremony for the official release of "Platinum" and "Diamond" credit cards by the China Minsheng Bank at the Hyatt Hotel in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. The diamond credit card issued by Minsheng Bank carries a monthly overdraft allowance of three million yuan (US$375,000), 60 times the current maximum prescribed by national regulations. This type of credit card mainly targets the following types of upper-class clients: celebrities, business tycoons, and officials above the rank of Vice Minister. Some people question
why the overdraft limit is so high while the monthly income for high-level
senior officials above the rank of Vice Minister is only a few thousand
yuan. If the credit card overdraft reaches three million yuan, the
person will not be able to pay off the debt in tens of years, even
if he devoted every penny of income to debt service and stopped using
the card. The explanation provided by the bank is, "The diamond
credit card [advocates] forming an alliance with the top brands and
serving first-class clients." The capability for power to overdraw money is extraordinary. An investigative report from China's Ministry of Commerce claims that in recent years approximately four thousand high-ranking officials have fled the country, carrying with them about US$50 billion. China is a "rich country" with enough resources for communist officials to overdraw for many years: Enough for General Secretary Hu Jintao to "generously" give dollars away while visiting foreign countries. It has been said that China's economy is leaping forward and that China's GDP has maintained a high increase rate of eight percent in the last few years - one of the highest in the world. This gives communist officials great pride. High-speed Development Overdraws upon Resources The development over the last twenty years and the mass scale of logging and coal mining might have already overdrawn China's resources for the next two hundred years. In fact, China's resource consumption rate in the last thirty years is 11 times that of the last three hundred years. If development continues at this rate, China's natural resources are likely to be exhausted within fifty years. Only because China
has the cheapest labor in the world (some of it slave labor) and ignores
its environmental problems, can China's cheap products be competitive
in the international market. We can now see how sharp Chinese bankers are! Back |
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